week 1:Unit 1 terms

ethical appeal

definition: Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader. sentence: "As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results." sentence: "He is a forensics and ballistics expert for the federal government - if anyone's qualified to determine the murder weapon, it's him."

counter argument

definition:capturing someones argument with your argument so responding to theirs extra definition: an argument offered in opposition to another argument example: is a presidential debate

author's purpose

defintion: An author's purpose is his reason for or intent in writing. An author's purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition. An author writes with one of four general purposes in mind: 1.persuade,2.inform,3.entertain,4.compare PIE or PIECE 1.Persuade:convince 2.Inform:give facts 3.Entertain:fiction extra:4.Compare:two or more extra:5.Express: feelings

point of view

definition: Point of view refers to who is telling or narrating a story. A story can be told in three different ways: first person, second person, and third person. Writers use point of view to express the personal emotions of either themselves or their characters. The point of view of a story is how the writer wants to convey the experience to the reader. First person: First person point of view involves the use of either of the two pronouns "I" or "we." example:"I felt like I was getting drowned with shame and disgrace." Second person: Second person point of view employs the pronoun "you." example:"Sometimes you cannot clearly discern between anger and frustration." third person: Third person point of view uses pronouns like "he," "she," "it," "they," or a name. example:"Stewart is a principled man. He acts by the book and never lets you deceive him easily."

objective writing

definition:observation based on facts extra definition: writing that you can verify through evidence and facts. If you are writing objectively, you must remain as neutral as possible through the use of facts, statistics, and research. This type of writing is best used when you as a writer need to present unbiased information to an audience and then let them determine their own opinion. News reports and school textbooks often use objective writing. objective writing is fact-driven example: A prime example of where to find subjective and objective styles right next to each other is in the newspaper. Reporters most generally hold themselves and their writing to a high level of objectivity. They present the facts and do not offer their own opinions when it comes to their presentation. example: Encyclopedias, textbooks, news reporting

logical appeal

defintion: Logos is an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. sentence: "The data is perfectly clear: this investment has consistently turned a profit year-over-year, even in spite of market declines in other areas." sentence:"You don't need to jump off a bridge to know that it's a bad idea. Why then would you need to try drugs to know if they're damaging? That's plain nonsense."

emotional appeal

defintion: Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response. sentence: "After years of this type of disrespect from your boss, countless hours wasted, birthdays missed... it's time that you took a stand." sentence: "Don't be the last person on the block to have their lawn treated - you don't want to be the laughing stock of your community!"

subjective writing

defintion:based on or influenced by personal feelings extra definition: writing that you cannot evaluate, calculate, or verify. Subjective writing might express feelings, opinions, and judgments. This would come in handy for writing a personal essay or an opinion column for a paper, but should not be used when the goal is to simply inform the audience. Subjective writing is opinion-driven example: However, the editorial section of a newspaper is where one can find subjectivity. These articles can present the facts, in some cases the same as the objective ones, but will also include the writer's viewpoint and opinion. example:Newspaper editorials, blogs, biographies, comments on the Internet

diction

defintion:choice and use of words in speech or writing extra definiton: Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. Diction, or choice of words, often separates good writing from bad writing types of diction: Formal diction - formal words are used in formal situations, such as press conferences and presentations. Informal diction - uses informal words and conversation, such as writing or talking to friends. Colloquial diction - uses words common in everyday speech, which may be different in different regions or communities. Slang diction - is the use of words that are newly coined, or even impolite.

context clues

defintion:clues an author gives to identify hard or not normal words extra definition: Context clues are hints that an author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word. The clue may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers, or it may follow in a preceding sentence. There are at least four kinds of context clues that are quite common: a synonym (or repeat context clue) which appears in that sentence; 2) anantonym (or contrast context clue) that has the opposite meaning, which can reveal the meaning of an unknown term; 3) an explanation for an unknown word is given (adefinition context clue) within the sentence or in the sentence immediately preceding; and 4) specific examples (an example context clue) used to define the term.

inference

defintion:conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning extra defintion:is an idea or conclusion that's drawn from evidence and reasoning. An inference is an educated guess. example: We learn about some things by experiencing them first-hand, but we gain other knowledge by inference — the process of inferring things based on what is already known. When you make an inference, you're reading between the lines or just looking carefully at the facts and coming to conclusions. You can also make faulty inferences. If you hear a person's weight is 250 pounds, you might make the inference that they're overweight. But what if they're seven feet tall? examples: Sherry's toddler is in bed upstairs. She hears a bang and crying. Sherry can infer that her toddler fell out of bed. Norman sees cookie crumbs on the floor and chocolate around his son's mouth. Norman can infer that his son got into the cookie jar.

tone

defintion:general character or attitude towards a place or piece of writing also the way that the writer feels about his work extra defintion: Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. Every written piece comprises a central theme or subject matter. The manner in which a writer approaches this theme and subject is the tone. The tone can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, or cheerful, or it may be any other existing attitude. Consider the following examples of tone: "I want to ask the authorities what is the big deal? Why do they not control the epidemic? It is eating up lives like a monster." "I want to draw the attention of the appropriate authorities toward damage caused by the epidemic. If steps are not taken to curb it, it will further injure our community." The theme of both tone examples is the same. The only way we can differentiate between them is their separate tone. The tone in the first example is casual or informal while, it is more formal in the second. example of tone in common speech: Father: "We are going on a vacation." Son: "That's great!!!" - The tone of son's response is very cheerful.

fallacy

defintion:over looking facts and replacing them with your own facts or a work of literature extra definition: Fallacies are mistaken beliefs based on unsound arguments. They derive from reasoning that is logically incorrect, thus undermining an argument's validity. There are many different types of fallacies, and their variations are almost endless. Given their extensive nature, we've curated a list of common fallacies so you'll be able to develop sound conclusions yourself, and quickly identify fallacies in others' writings and speeches. example: Appeal to Authority - These fallacies occur when someone accepts a truth on blind faith just because someone they admire said it. Katherine loves Tom Cruise. One day, she meets Tom Cruise and he tells her unicorns live in New York City. Without searching to find out if fairy tales have sprung to life in the midtown Manhattan, she believes it to be true.

Bias

defintion:prejudice or in favor of one thing extra defintion: a preference for one thing over another, especially an unfair one. example: Some biases are completely innocent: "I have a bias toward French wines." But most often, bias is used to describe unfair prejudices: "The authorities investigated a case involving bias against Latinos." It is also a verb meaning "to show prejudice for or against," as in "They claimed the tests were biased against women."

Rhetorical question

defintion:question that is not even answered extra defintion: A rhetorical question is a question that you ask without expecting an answer. The question might be one that does not have an answer. It might also be one that has an obvious answer but you have asked the question to make a point, to persuade or for literary effect. rhetorical questions with obvious answers: Is the pope catholic? Is rain wet? You didn't possibly think I would say yes to that did you? Do you want to be a big failure for the rest of your life? Does a bear poop in the woods? rhetorical questions that have no answers: What is the meaning of life? Why do we go on? What's the matter with kids today? There's no hope, is there? When a rhetorical question would be asked: Your girlfriend asks if you love her. You say "Is the pope catholic?" to suggest that it is obvious you love her. A parent is arguing with a child about the importance of good grades. The parent says "Do you want to live at home in the basement for the rest of your life?" Two men are having a disagreement in a bar. One says "Do you want me to punch you in the face?" A woman tells her husband she is pregnant and shows him the pregnancy test. He says "Are you serious?"